Sunday, November 29, 2009

Green Slime

In fact, her idea of a meal was often a spoonful of peanut butter on toast.

Not exactly the best nutritional plan for someone with diabetes.

When she moved in with us, she was forced into a more regular routine

and she discovered that we really like to eat. A lot.

She was continually amazed that I could cook

and just marveled at my culinary feats, such as they were.

She would have been content to eat my potato soup every night.

She took it upon herself to do the dishes.

Mom did more dishes in the three months that she lived with us

than she had ever done in the eighteen years of my growing up!

She also began baking.

Mom never baked that I can remember.

Yet she made cookies and apple cake on a regular basis for us.

She also decided that on the days that Mardell volunteered at school,

she could at least get supper started. Then she graduated to cooking the whole meal and having it done when we got home. She wasn't very confident with her cooking as she hadn't done it for so long and continually worried that we wouldn't like it.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, we would drive home

and wonder what we would find for supper.

One particular Tuesday we walked in and I was instantly transported back to Grandmother Hall's house on Christmas day. This was the night that Mom had fixed Green Slime. You can bet that Grandma Hall never fixed Green Slime, but it felt like Christmas. Maybe it was just the coziness of walking in and finding Mom in the kitchen, happily bustling around, declaring that she didn't think we were ever coming home. But whatever it was, it felt like Christmas and Mom just beamed when I told her it felt like that.

She pulled supper out of the oven and took the lid off.

All I could see was a piece of meat with green slime covering it.

She was fretting about, saying that she hoped

we liked it and that she just wasn't sure about it.

She had seen this recipe on Rachel Ray earlier that day and decided to try it.

Yes, my mother, the Queen of Peanut Butter, did this.

I cringed when I saw it and mentally prepared myself to smile through every bite no matter how horrible it really was. I had visions of the Green Bean Casserole days. Before we ate, I caught Mardell

and told her that no matter what, we loved it.

I couldn't get enough of the green slime.

I dipped my meat into the slime and savored every bite.

Mardell had cooked up some apples to go with it and I literally gorged myself.

Mom later confessed that she had used too much thyme.

She thought it would take more dried than fresh instead of the other way around and she only had one tenderloin instead of two .... hence the slime as she used every last bit on the one piece of meat.

I know, I know, I haven't answered the question of what Green Slime really is.

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.Coat the tenderloins with olive oil. Combine the grill seasoning, lemon zest and thyme. Rub the spice mixture into the tenderloin and roast 25 minutes. Remove and let juices settle. Then slice on an angle.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat and saute apples for 12 to 15 minutes until very tender. Season with a pinch of salt and sprinkle the flour over the skillet, toss to combine. Squeeze the lemon juice over the skillet and sweeten with sugar.

Bravo!! I cannot wait to try this! Trudy, Pam gave you a wonderful Christmas after all! What a wonderful memory you have!To walk in and have Grandma Hall's essense via your Mom in your's and Mardell's kitchen.

And yes, I do remember the days of peanut butter on toast. I think I saw you eat that at least six times a week when we were kids!? What amazes me more is that you still like it. har!

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Carhenge

Did you know it is in our backyard?

Sister One

About Trudy

I am the oldest of the trio and I live on a small acreage not too far from my middle sister. I enjoy playing backyard farmer in the summer months when I'm not teaching. I am in a war with weeds and I hate to admit that the weeds are winning.

I've held a variety of jobs, but none so interesting as Sister Three's. I've driven an ice cream truck, sold Christmas tree ornaments, run four elementary media centers, made doughnuts and tacos, and now that I've grown up, I've settled on molding young minds.

I love to read, but I read mostly children's literature. It's fun to go to garage sales and find more children's books to add to my already substantial classroom collection.

I also like to garden. I love to plan trips that I'll never take because I can't stand to be away from home. The planning is the fun part.

I'm now hooked on Facebook, but it has been interesting running across old acquaintances.

I don't watch a lot of television, but I'm hooked on Grey's Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. Don't bother even trying to get a hold of me during these times .... unless it is blizzarding and you're calling off school!

I am learning how to quilt which has surprised everyone that knows me. I was probably the least likely person to do so. I love it though. It is the one activity in which I can completely turn off my head and not think about things.

I like to cook (especially green bean casseroles) during the summer months, but I don't seem to make the time during the school year.

I can be reached at Trio.of.sisters@gmail.com. You can also follow me (TrudytheGreat) on Twitter.

Sister Two

About Katie

I'm officially sister number 2 of the bunch.

I'm a 40 something mother of two girls and one boy- Krista, Dani and Trey. I've been married to my farmer husband Keith for 17 plus great years. I'm not sure where the time goes. Even though the girls are getting older, we aren't. Strange how that happens.

We live on a farm and ranch in Western Nebraska. It is a full time job for the family as well. We are always pitching in to help work cattle, weigh trucks or wash tanks. The girls really like scrubbing tanks, especially when it's cold outside. But agriculture is a good way of life.

I work full time in town a 2o mile drive from the ranch. Both girls love to play sports and and are active in our local 4-H program. Our family is a big supporter of our 4H program. That is probally our one (and only) hobby. The girls show lambs and calves for their livestock projects. That takes up much of our time and now a new little brother keeps us busy.

About Nicki

Being the youngest of the trio and co-leader of my own gang, I’m caught between two worlds: the baby I’ve always been and the emerging adult that’s trying to bust out.

Running after a gaggle of toddlers, (ok, there’s only two, but it feels like a herd when we’re loading into our Civic) I’m baffled by how I ended up here. Not the birds and bees part, just the part where I’m supposed to know how to mold two young minds, when I just figured out how to cut my own meat. Actually, I don’t even cut my own meat. I became a vegetarian instead. But I cut my own tofu.

I live in California with my awesome fish-farming husband Andrew and our two amazing and overly-photographed children Isabella (3) and Anderson (1).

Before becoming a stay-at-home mom I tried my hand at a few jobs: music therapist, writer, hot air balloon chaser, waitress, telemarketer, librarian, piano teacher, maid, telegram singer, and underwear salesperson. All handy skills for a mom.

Now, when I’m not daydreaming about running away to Paris, I like going to the beach with the fam or taking pictures. (My Nebraska roots sneak up on me though. I’m always snapping shots of tractors and chickens and green bean casseroles.)